


Everyone’s Battling Something

by Desparado



Category: Marvel Cinematic Universe, The Avengers (Marvel Movies)
Genre: Angst with a Happy Ending, F/M, Gen, Implied/Referenced Alcohol Abuse/Alcoholism, Past Alcohol Abuse/Alcoholism, Tony Stark Is a Good Bro
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-10-21
Updated: 2020-10-21
Packaged: 2021-03-08 23:27:11
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,705
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27134545
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Desparado/pseuds/Desparado
Summary: You’ve taken the step to quit a habit… just as your boyfriend and fellow avengers go on a mission. Things get hard but your loved ones make it easier.
Relationships: Steve Rogers/Reader
Comments: 1
Kudos: 18





	Everyone’s Battling Something

**Author's Note:**

> Prompt: "I chose the wrong week to quit drinking." From tumblr post by @drink-it-write-it  
> 2- “I regret to inform you, that, for once, I had nothing to do with this.” From tumblr post by @write-it-motherfuckers 
> 
> A/N: I don’t know how this came about, but it did. Please be careful reading my dears, remember help is always out there and you can always leave me an ask if you want to. x
> 
> Warnings: Mentions of alcohol misuse; brief allusion to bad childhood; angst with a happy ending; hurt/comfort

The rain littered the window as you stared out onto the world below. The sky was dark and thick with cloud, leaving the streets below in darkness despite it only being late afternoon. It gave the communal space a dim glow, casting long shadows on the floor and counters, you left the lights off in a bid to keep your headache at bay. The black, suede armchair you currently occupied did little to protect you from the cold… or at least that’s what you were telling people. The truth was that your arms shook for a different reason. Suddenly there was a movement behind you, and you flicked your head round to see Tony smiling with his hands up, “Sorry kid, didn’t mean to startle ya.”  
“It’s fine,” You sighed in relief, “No harm done.” You slunk back into the chair and wrapped your arms around your body, willing your heart to calm down. You heard him step into the kitchen area, open a cupboard door and sigh, “Want any food? I’m starved.”  
“No thanks, I’m not hungry.” A wave of nausea surfaced and you grimaced against the feeling.  
“You’re gonna wanna eat,” He replied, rustling with packets in the cupboard before it clicked shut, “Even something light to keep the sickness at bay.”  
You turned and looked at him wide-eyed, “How did you-”  
“I’ve been through it, remember?” He dragged a stool over to your position and sat next to you, holding out some plain biscuits for you to take one, “You’re doing well, kid.”  
“It’s been four days I’m already losing my mind,” You sighed heavily, “I chose the wrong week to quit drinking huh?” He chuckled and shook the biscuit packet in front of your again, “Maybe.” He smirked and you mimicked the action, reluctantly taking a biscuit. He nodded to your hand, “How bad are the shakes?”  
“Only slight,” You took a small bite and began chewing with effort, “But don’t expect me to be shooting any arrows anytime soon.”  
“Ha- I’m sure Clint’ll be disappointed!” He shoved a whole biscuit in his mouth and winked at you, causing you to laugh whilst you took another sensible bite. A few moments of silence passed, the rain continuing to bash against the window, this time with more force. “You heard from Steve?” You asked, turning to watch the rain. “No, have you?” He watched you shake your head then he placed his free hand on your shoulder, “He’ll be fine, Sam’ll stop him from doing stupid shit.”  
“You know as well as I do that no one stops Steve from doing anything.” You couldn’t help but laugh as you spoke.  
Tony joined in, “Well you’re not wrong! But still, he’ll be fine, he has a reason to come back now.” He smiled genuinely at you, winked again, then stood up, “Come on, I’m trying to upgrade Dum-E but it’s painfully low on IQ down there, will you come and talk electronics with me?”  
You snorted, “Tony you know I don’t know shit about electronics.”  
“True,” He sighed playfully as he pulled you out of your seat and gave you the biscuit packet, “But you can talk and that’s good enough for me.”

The rest of the afternoon and early evening flew by as you nibbled on biscuits and spoke with Tony about everything other than electronics. Contrary to popular belief, Tony was a kind soul and he did his best to look out for you. He dimmed the lights and gave you ear blockers for when the machinery got too loud. When he finished, you both went back up to the communal level and waited for news on the other avengers as you spoke openly about your habits. He told you all about his struggle to sobriety mixed with the partying and you told him how it started and how it worsened. “Well shit,” He breathed, leaning back into the armchair as he looked at you, his mouth open, “I thought my parents were bad.” You chuckled at his statement, “Yeah well.” You shrugged and picked up your mug of fruit tea and held it up, “To shitty upbringings.” He smirked and lifted his mug to clink against yours before you both took a sip. Just then, FRIDAY’s voice came from a nearby speaker, “The team have just arrived upstairs.” You grinned at Tony and both of you stood up. You wobbled slightly from the headrush and it made you feel sick.  
“Woah you okay?”  
“Yeah I’m fine, let’s go.” You smiled meekly and walked towards the elevator.  
As the doors pinged open, you were greeted with a sorry-looking bunch of superheroes that were looking rather dishevelled as they littered the corridor. Tony raised his brow, “Did it go well?”  
“Mostly.” Nat sighed as she dropped a bag of her gear on the floor, “Until genius here-” she gestured to Sam, “- let his little pet blow up an electrical box, shorting out the entire building-”  
“Oh please-”  
“And making our jobs ten times harder!” Nat turned to face her challenger as he folded his arms.  
“If it wasn’t for Redwing blowing up that box, we’d all be buried in rubble right now!” Sam’s face was a mix of frustration and bemusement as he turned to look at you. Tony exhaled sharply, “So why were you almost buried in rubble? Clint, do you have something to share with the class?”  
“I regret to inform you, that, for once, I had nothing to do with this.” Clint protested as he leant backwards to stretch his back. They all began to bicker amongst themselves as you finally saw Steve emerge from the quinjet, carrying two large bags in his hands. When he looked up, his eyes scanned the corridor before landing on you, and his stern look burst into a smile. Just as he walked inside, a voice calling your name turned your head. “Y/n? How’ve you been?” Nat asked as she stepped closer to you, her eyes scanning your frame.  
“I’m fine, thanks.” You smiled at her, understanding the caring tone in her voice despite the abrupt and very public question. The whole team knew- you had previously spoken to them individually and they appreciated the honesty- which meant a group effort in keeping you focused and in the team; something you were desperate to hold on to. You folded your arms when you felt your hands shaking again, not wanting Steve to see how bad you already were.

After piling into the elevator, those on the mission went to dump their stuff in the briefing room and have a conference call with Fury as you and Tony headed to the bedrooms. When you stopped by your door, Tony hesitated then turned to face you, “Tell him, please? He won’t see you as anything less than brilliant, I don’t think he can.” He smiled warmly at you then gave you a quick hug before retreating to his own room, leaving you to think on his comment as you entered yours. After a quick shower, you dressed in your usual night-time outfit and got into bed, leaning your head against the headboard as you grabbed the book from your bedside drawer. After a while, there was a gentle, familiar knock at your door which cause you to smile, “Come in.” The door clicked open and Steve quietly entered the room, a tired smile on his face. “As I say every time,” You began, “You don’t need to knock anymore, you sleep here, remember?”  
He smirked, “And as I say every time, I don’t want to intrude if you’re busy or getting changed-” He stepped over to you and gave you a peck on the lips, “- Remember?” You smiled at him and nodded earning another kiss from him.  
“How did it go?” You asked, closing your book as Steve moved away to remove his suit.  
“Difficult… Long… Would have been much easier with you there.” You rolled your eyes and he caught it, smiling while he slipped on his joggers. He disappeared into the room opposite, brushed his teeth then looked at you as he leant on the doorframe, “How have you been?”  
“Fine.” You smiled, not noticing that you’d moved your hands under the duvet as you spoke. He saw it and silently moved over to you, sitting on your side of the bed and gently pulling your hands out, holding him in his palms and he felt them shake. “Hmm,” He mumbled before glancing up at you, “Any headaches? Nausea?” You didn’t answer him, instead looking away as you felt the shame creep into your chest. “I knew I should have stayed with you-”  
“No, no don’t you put this on yourself,” You cut in, furrowing your eyebrows at him, “This is on me. Besides, Tony’s been amazing.” Steve nodded and smiled slightly before lifting your hands to his lips and kissing your knuckles. “I know this is going to be a long road,” He said between kisses, “But I want you to know that I’ll be here for you every step of the way. No matter how bad it gets, I won’t see you as anything less than incredible.”  
You chuckled at his words, “Funny, Tony said something similar earlier.”  
“Yeah?” Steve smirked then crawled over you to the other side of the bed, “That’s the smartest thing he’s ever said then.” Once under the duvet, he held his arm out to you and instinctively you moved to his side, placing your arm on his chest as your legs entangled with his. He had one hand stroking your back and the other hand rubbing your upper arm as he placed more kisses on your forehead. You tilted your head up and managed to capture some of them on your lips, sighing as each kiss left a tingling sensation. “I love you, y/n, I always will.” He whispered against your lips, causing you to smile. “And I love you too, Steve. Thank you for always being there for me.” He cupped your cheek with his hand and you learnt into it before he pulled you into a deep kiss, wrapping you tighter in his embrace as you made up for lost time.


End file.
